You may remember Big Tree from their string of performances in San Diego last year, and/or the Poetic Memory list of “5 Places to Feel Really Good” that they did for Owl and Bear back in July.
Since then, the Brooklyn band has recorded its as-yet-untitled sophomore album. And, in characteristic fashion, the guys and girls of Big Tree are ready to “climb to the top of a mountain and shout” about it to the world. They’ll have the opportunity to (literally) sing the album’s praises on March 9, when they’ll play the Che Cafe. In anticipation of the show, we’re pleased to post a sample of their latest work: check out the MP3 for “This New Year” and their video for “Two Seasons” (above).
The Casbah turned into a comedy club Friday evening as it welcomed TV and film veteran Michael Showalter and local comedienne Allison Gill to its stage.
First, Gill warmed up the crowd with her delightful crassness, alternately wringing laughter and shocked groans from the crowd. She even included some guitar toward the end, launching into a country song that explained why fat girls are particularly skilled at administering oral pleasure. Continue reading…
As a genus, books by comedians are generally one of a few species: thoughtful or funny memoirs about their personal and professional pasts, humorous to hilarious essays, transcriptions of stage bits, or book-length conceptual jokes. Of course, there can be some crossbreeding, resulting in interesting beasts. With his debut book, Mr. Funny Pants, Michael Showalter takes every kind of book a comedian could write, mashes it together with every kind of book every other occupation could produce, and comes up with a hydra-headed monster that’s really fun to play with, despite how difficult it is to classify. Continue reading…
The crowd at the sold-out Justin Townes Earle show at the Casbah on Saturday evening soaked in a set of Americana tunes along with their whiskey. Continue reading…
Word of mouth is the true test of any band’s worth. Critics and bloggers can go on about composition, thematic elements, and hidden meanings until they’re blue in the face, but at the end of the day, it’s the people around you who possess the ability to ultimately praise a musician or bury them.
It can be no coincidence, then, that Viva Voce chose the name that they did. The phrase is Latin for “word of mouth,” and just about anybody who has heard their steamy, electrifying albums can confidently attest to the band’s greatness. Continue reading…
